Positivism

• Relies on study of social facts in a systematic and scientific way
• Key Ideas

  • Observe behaviours and actions of people > explained by social norms they've been exposed to through socialisation > structural forces shape behaviour of individuals
  • Macrostructural = society influences individual action
  • Objective and quantitative data
  • Society can be studied scientifically like other sciences
• Primary methods

  • Survey
  • Questionnaires
  • Structured interviews
  • Lab experiments
• Strengths

  • Reliable = can be replicated
  • Macro scale = representative
  • Quantitative data = more objective and scientific
• Limitations

  • Lack validity = may show trends but can't explain why
  • Not representative = doesn't gain an insight as to why they do it
  • Neglects actions of individuals = only focuses on structural forces
• Secondary methods

  • Official stats
  • Public documents
  • Historical data (e.g. parish records)